☀️ Good morning!

It’s Sunday, March 15, 2026

⚾ Would it help at all to mention that the Brewers’ season opener is in just 11 days?

No?

Well, we all have our coping mechanisms for dealing with seasonal setbacks like this weekend’s snowstorm. All we can do is tell you to avoid travel in the hardest-hit areas, endure what we hope is our last visit to the deep freeze, and look forward to next week’s first day of spring. 

🥶 And be thankful American Family Field has a retractable roof in case spring decides to run late.

📻 In other news: About once a month, radio listeners in Chicago get to hear my perspective on what’s happening with their good neighbor to the north. What used to be single-segment visits have turned into hourlong conversations with show host Joan Esposito, to whom I’m eternally grateful. LISTEN HERE to last Thursday’s show.

Don’t forget to scroll down for our Question of the Week about the latest case of President Trump inflicting maximum pain on TSA workers and America’s air travelers. 

Have a great week — and remember to stay up to date with our social media posts.

📣  Join UpNorthNews, on Tuesday, March 17 at 1:30pm CT for a virtual conversation with Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate — followed by a visit with Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine).

Pat Kreitlow, founding editor of UpNorthNews, will ask both women to discuss the importance and the long-term impacts of the upcoming Supreme Court special election on April 7 and the elections this November for seats in the Wisconsin Legislature. Their outcomes will have far-reaching consequences on key issues across the state.

CLICK HERE to register.

1️⃣  Tiffany no mail voting – US Rep. Tom Tiffany, the presumptive Republican nominee in this fall’s election for Wisconsin governor, told a podcast host, “I don’t believe we should be doing mail-in voting,” making an exception only for members of the US Armed Forces.

More than 1.5 million Wisconsin voters cast absentee ballots in the November 2024 presidential election and Tiffany has reportedly voted absentee a dozen times since 2016.

READ more about Tiffany’s comments and how he and President Trump are wrongly claiming a Democratic former president opposed mail-in voting.

ALSO: Billionaires associated with Project 2025 unload cash on Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s race for governor.

2️⃣  Public dollars for private attorneys – The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature is being sued over its widespread use of private attorneys. The group Law Forward filed suit over $26 million in taxpayer funds given to private law firms, many of them with ties to Republican groups and leaders, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation. Just prior to Gov. Tony Evers taking office, GOP lawmakers gave themselves greater ability to use private attorneys, who were used to defend gerrymandered political maps, a baseless investigation into the 2020 presidential election, and lame duck laws that removed some powers from Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul. 

3️⃣  👵🏻 Old money – It’s a new list of Wisconsin billionaires, but it has the same old names. Forbes’ 2026 list of estimated personal worth, with ages added by X.com/JamesBohnWI, looks like this.

• John Menard, 86, Menards founder, $19.4 billion

• Diane Hendricks, 79, co-founded ABC Supply, $22.3 billion

• Judy Faulkner, 82, Epic Systems founder, $7.8 billion 

• James Cargill, 77, one of 12 heirs to food corporation Cargill, America’s largest private company, $5.4 billion

• Curtis Johnson (71), Helen Johnson-Leipold (69), H. Fisk Johnson (67), heirs to cleaning products company SC Johnson, $4.8 billion each

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

🏡 It doesn’t get the attention of hotbutton issues like abortion, the economy, or gun safety, but ask almost any civic leader in Wisconsin and they’ll tell you affordable housing is right up there among the most critical matters that need to be addressed — and that includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

As one of seven Democratic candidates for governor, Rodriguez said she would like to tackle issues like the shortage of affordable housing stock, things like “starter homes” for people who can’t afford a McMansion in the suburbs but also don’t want to rent apartments forever.

“We need to focus on home ownership,” Rodriguez told UpNorthNews, “because if we continue to do affordable housing and we only do rentals, then we will continue to be in an affordability spiral — because rents can always be raised. But if you purchased your home, you know what you’re going to be paying in terms of a mortgage for a period of time.”

Rodriguez would also like to see more done to provide downpayment assistance and to streamline rules about construction, zoning, and other bureaucratic obstacles to building and selling houses for Wisconsin’s next generation of workers and young families.

WATCH a report about Rodriguez that also includes comments from Julian Emerson on a new affordable housing idea in Altoona that helps homeowners keep a roof over their heads even if the roof is leaking or they need other major repairs.

⏮️ Last Week: Move the primary election?

Wisconsin’s primary election is later than all but seven other states. Should we move our primary up so that nominees have more time to talk to voters ahead of the November general election? 

About 70% of respondents say they’d like to move the primary to May or June. About 20% want to leave it in August and say that’s plenty of time for nominees to lob political ad attacks on each other. The remainder gave responses ranging from March to October.

Jan in Highbridge wants to go earlier. “May: as the summer months are too busy in WI and in May folks are not vacationing and kids are still in school.”

Another reader wants to move it to June. “That would allow time after the spring elections (in April) for clerks to get out absentee ballots.”

Joel in Spooner says, “I would have it remain in August. I prefer condensed campaigns.”

⏭️ This Week: TSA workers without paychecks

Under a deal to end the last federal government shutdown, everything else is being funded except the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which sits atop Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats want President Trump and Republicans to reform the violent ICE militia activity that is leaving American citizens and immigrants harassed, detained, and even murdered. Trump and GOP lawmakers have rejected every Democratic offer to resume DHS and TSA paychecks in return for changes to immigration enforcement. 

What should Democrats do about Trump’s willingness to let federal workers face financial hardship rather than change ICE tactics?

If you have a suggestion for some kind of middle ground, we’d love to hear about it.

Click the blue box (above) containing this week’s response options and you’ll be taken to a page on our website where you can press the specific option for your answer and leave more comments. 

If you get a pop-up window asking for your email address, go ahead and enter it even though you’re clearly already a subscriber. And please leave a comment, including first name and hometown. Or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com. Thank you!

Here’s a sample of what you need to know about events in the coming week.

Monday [Mar 16]

Milwaukee County Democrats: Meet Joel Brennan, candidate for govedrnor (Bay View, 6-7:30pm)

Part of an ongoing series of events to provide an opportunity for people to meet the gubernatorial candidates one at a time.

Tuesday [Mar 17]

Indivisible: Know Your Rights for Employers (Sun Prairie, 6:30-8 p.m.)

A training on I-9 requirements, rights in the workplace, and tools and examples to equip employers to make a plan.

Wednesday [Mar 18]

Chippewa Valley Indivisible: Defend Democracy Rally  (Eau Claire, 3-4:30 p.m.)

A rally for democracy and against authoritarianism.

Have an event to add? Email State Organizing Coordinator, Abigail Deatrick, abigail@couriernewsroom.com with details (please send details at least one week before the event).

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great week!